


Echoes

by AnnieBirdy



Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Logan (2017), Logan/Rogue - Freeform, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Logan (2017), Wolverine and other X-Men mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 12:25:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieBirdy/pseuds/AnnieBirdy
Summary: Laura opens the window allowing the frosty wind to get into the jet-black hair. She’s got used to cold, maybe, has fallen in love with it once and for all. It seems that even her skin became whiter. By the way, about the skin. It is likely that mother can injure somebody.





	Echoes

Setting crossing points at the border of each state is a shitty idea. Generally, it’s good it’s not summer right now, so that people don’t faint in that stupid queue from the heat. Fortunately, Laura has never been here in the warm season. Otherwise, memories will overpower her. For example, those about how hot the weather was during those few rotary weeks of her life, about fifteen years ago. If she starts to restore at least this memory, she will quickly get into the same condition, in which mom stays at present, and then…   
  
The young woman shut her eyes sharply and took a deep breath. She needs to concentrate on what’s happening now. And now everything is fucking simple: she has to stick here for another hour and a half or two hours, then comes Nevada, a border once again, about two hours driving along the road — there will be a chance to pick up speed normally — Laughlin City and the house of those unhappy, sweet retiree. What are their names? Ah, sure. Claudia and Walter. If only the old ones did not forget what last time she urgently asked them for, in case if now my mother is doing something completely debilitating. However, Laura reasonably doubts about the latter. Most likely, mom is questioning about the bar and scaring the locals.   
  
Time drags on slowly. Laura, throwing on her hood, paces around the car to stretch her stiff legs. Snow breaks down, it’s good the wind is weak. There are already drifts and ice in Yukon, though here, on the contrary, almost no one has replaced the rubber. X-23 tries to think about nonsense, smokes three cigarettes in a row, calls colleagues at the office to clarify when Delilah has count hearings, calms down a woman with diabetes whom they forbid to skip the queue, despite the disability documents are available. And still she cannot get distracted. How could she be cool with the fact that Mom was hiding in the single-room at Dawson City? It's disgusting. It is high time to take her to Whitehorse, instead of getting frustrated, forcing her to search a job and stuffing her with sedatives.   
  
_Laura is silent. She has not said anything since she left her father's grave. He does not allow himself to look up, wants, but cannot cry anymore. "Eden" is real, dad was wrong. Things shown in these bright books are real, albeit substantially different. This complex is similar to a large spending mansion. Absolutely not like it was in “Transigen”. They were waited for all to one, examined, comforted. They were promised proper education, were promised that everything would be fine. And her friends smile happily. She does not blame them — they didn’t lose. And they didn’t find either._  
  
_Laura, being exhausted, falls on a leather armchair standing in the corner. She tends to sleep, squeezes her hands into fists — her fingers don’t stop shaking. She almost falls asleep when suddenly hears a new voice, imperious, extremely excited._  
  
_"Where, where is she?" the voice belongs, probably, to a young woman. “Where is the girl with the genetic material of James Howlett?! If you tell me she didn’t get here — you’ll be fucking fired, all of you!”_  
  
_Everybody instantly turned their heads towards the source of the sound. A woman in a black business suit entered the spacious hall with a confident footstep. Obviously, this is Miss D’Ancanto, the founder of the center. Laura tensely, without looking away, watches her. Or rather she watches the long dark chestnut hair with two gray locks. Can it be possible?_  
  
_The children freeze, one of the nurses, reminiscent of the late Gabriela, points to Laura, timidly saying: "Here, miss." The woman’s face is transformed — a worried expression changes into a joyful one, haughty arrogance, earlier displayed in every movement, disappears somewhere._  
  
_"My God ..." Miss D’Ancanto traverses the distance between herself and Laura in a split second, kneeling in front of her._  
  
_The girl who didn’t expect this, instinctively squeezes into the back of the armchair. Miss D’Ancanto silently moves her lips, trying, in all likelihood, to pick up the words. Now Laura won’t mind if she is told what's going on. Because she feels strange and even a little frightened. The woman looks at her as if she has reached what she longed for, what she needs most. But this glance is not insane, like the one of Dr. Rice, it's something else Laura has not come across yet. Or has she already been looked at the same way? No, no, that will not happen again!_  
  
_Miss D’Ancanto’s brown eyes glisten with tears, and she, unable to say anything, simply drops her head to the girl’s knees and sobs. Laura looks around helplessly, sees Rebecca — her friend shrugs her shoulders in confusion._  
  
Laura’s nerves let her down too often now. After scolding a policeman several minutes ago, she noted to herself that if mom were around, she wouldn’t have made her a comment. It may be surprising, however, Marie’s never told her what to do, hasn’t forced her, and especially hasn’t spoken to her in high-pitched tones. She could only express her opinion, quietly, casually. As a teenager Laura took it as a reality, but over the years she realized that it shouldn’t be so. In normal families, of course. And what does she have, all in all? Father, in fact, was her twin. Mother is actually no relative. And at the same time, no one has ever loved her so much, except dad, like this woman with a bunch of suppressed personalities in her head and the most muddied mutation. Basically, X-23 realizes that she became the reason why mom slowly but confidently loses her sanity. Marie’s whole world spins around the permanently gone past, on Laura. And this has started long before their actual meeting.   
  
_"Are you really Rogue?" Laura does not know how to start a conversation better. The question is stupid; she has already recognized her._  
  
_“I used to bear that name.” The mistress of "Eden" flushes a tired smile, wiping her tears with a paper napkin. “But now I'm just Anna Marie.”_  
  
_They sit in the director's office, for the most part of time they keep silence. It’s difficult for Laura to speak under such a rapt attention of a barely familiar person, although she has already understood the most important thing — this woman is the same as Logan and Charles. She will never cause any harm._  
  
_“What is your name? You see, we have only general information, codes, no names ...” She looked down for some reason. “I’ve been waiting for you so much and I don’t know how I can call you.”_  
  
_“Laura.”_  
  
_"Laura..." Miss D'Ancanto is now looking somewhere into the wall, her gaze is defocused. "Laura... Laura..."_  
  
_And Laura wants to escape. In the mind there is now the image of her father, gripping her hand one last time. He also repeated her name, called her, when she was very close._  
  
_The girl exhales quietly, that brings D'Ancanto out of numbness._  
  
_“Tell me, was anybody tracking you, when you were going here?" She swallowed, “I mean, they didn’t follow you, did they?"_  
  
_"They did, miss."_  
  
_"Wh-who?" The woman stumbles. “Zender?”_  
  
_“Si.”_  
  
_“Bastard!” She jumps up from the couch and begins to walk quickly around the room, from corner to corner. “It's not enough for him! Don’t worry, I'll imprison him, I’ll jail him! I swear!”_  
  
_"Miss, he's dead."_  
  
_Rogue stops abruptly and looks inquiringly at Laura, blinking oftentimes._  
  
_"How, my girl?" She, obviously, cannot believe. It's funny. If dad hadn’t murdered him, they could do it together, just like with Pierce. They’ve been taught._  
  
_"My father killed him." Laura lets out a crooked grin._  
  
On the day of their meeting, X-23 described how everything was, looking at the sunglasses, which she held in her hands. For some reason she didn’t want to observe the reaction of her interlocutrix. Then Miss D'Ancanto calmly asked her to leave. The girl obeyed, closed the door behind her. After that a shout came. Not a hysterical scream, not a cry of desperation, but a heart-rending cry, like the one caused by physical pain. It seemed Rogue had lost control — there was an awful rumble. The cry was replaced by a shrill wail. As soon as everything was quiet, Laura entered the office right after the nurse did. Almost all the furniture was smashed into chips, traces of claws were visible here and there, chairs were burned, the wiring protruded from the walls. Laura, following an unconscious impulse, ran up to the woman — the director was lying on the floor, all shaking, crouched, tears were running down her face uncontrollably — and enfolded her face with her hands.   
  
Since then, the two of them have been wandering, and Laura has no idea of where it will take them both. In any case, at the moment, mom is simply masterfully creating problems for them, while torturing herself willingly. And where has the incredible, confident, glowing from within Anna Marie — looking at who, Laura at first dropped her jaw — faded? 

* * *

  
Fifteen years ago, Marie tried to recreate a kind of analogue of Charles Xavier's school, as she personally admitted to X-23. By the thirties of the twenty-first century, mutants ceased to be born in the US only — in Canada or Russia everything was stable, in the old way. And Marie was completely dedicated to serving the mutants — she lived for her job and waited. For echoes of the past. She rejected the fact that none of the friends was alive anymore. She avoided memories, almost never responded to the alias. But on the other hand, she didn’t dare to start all over again, has never got married, hasn’t give birth to children. Answering Laura’s latter questions on why it is so, she simply took a step back, said she had missed her chance, always adding in a half whisper, "I’ve been waiting for my daughter, I don’t need anyone else". And every time Laura gasped. What has she done to deserve it? Such unconditional love, which you can experience to nobody, except for your own child.   
  
_“Madre, estás segura?* It’s very cool but I won’t endure a year in your Toronto.”_  
  
_"I do not know, sunshine." Marie shrugs her shoulders with feigned indifference. "I think that York University is the best place for you to be learn the jurisprudence. You told me, your soul wishes for this. You have an inborn thirst for justice, and don’t ask how I know.”_  
  
_Laura pours some orange juice from the package and snorts like a fox. Marie just barely holds back a chuckle._  
  
_“Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Delilah is planning to enter Osgood Hall.” The woman states. "You cannot leave her, right?"_  
  
_“Mom, damn,” Laura rolls her eyes, “I don’t wanna leave you, you!”_  
  
When Laura finally got to Nevada, it was afternoon. Delilah reports that the trial was postponed until Thursday, thus Laura will have plenty of time to fix her personal problems. The young woman asks how Gideon is doing, although somehow she doesn’t give a fuck, gets an answer she does not even listen to and turns off the phone. Speed at maximum, all attention to the road.   
  
Relatively recently, when she was still a student, mom had to comb the area just like that, take Laura out of the clubs and doorways. Laura was not able to get stoned or intoxicated but D'Ancanto still appeared out of nowhere, silently loaded her daughter into the battered Land Rover and silently drove home — to a close one-room flat in an inconspicuous corner high-rise building. Not a single reproach, not a single condemning glance. It’s been sort of law of nature from the beginning, but then Laura was furious. How much better it could’ve been if mother had slapped her, called her a disappointment. On the contrary, Marie has always looked at her with tenderness, almost crying from the excess of the latter. Afterwards Laura constantly blamed herself for the horrible behavior — mom left “Eden” for the most ordinary routine, with that monotonous mode of life of the average incomplete family, sold a posh apartment in cozy St. Catharines, just to avoid financial problems with Laura’s studying in future. Well, now X-23 humbly takes shots for the sins of youth. Hail justice, so much desired.   
  
Laura opens the window allowing the frosty wind to get into the jet-black hair. She’s got used to cold, maybe, has fallen in love with it once and for all. It seems that even her skin became whiter. By the way, about the skin. It is likely that mother can injure somebody.   
  
Fuck, why can’t she drive faster?   
  
_Laura snuggled up to her mother, instantly feeling protected, as much as in theory one may feel, being close to a person who is able to take away all the life force from you in two counts. Marie cut her hair and dyed it blonde, insisting that “sometimes you need to amuse your loved ones" Laura understands perfectly — there’s more and more grayness, mom doesn’t heal as good as before._  
  
_"What are the nightmares of, kid?" Rogue seems to be asking about the weather._  
  
_"Of "Transigen” as usually." hesitating, she adds “And of dad."_  
  
_Marie makes an odd sound, as if she was kicked in the stomach. Laura does not move._  
  
_“I feel you,” At last, the woman responds huskily. “I, too, have your dad in my… dreams… a lot. And given that I absorbed a certain part of his personality...”_  
  
_"Well, what else? Сontame**” Laura presses her nose to Marie's cheek._  
  
_Marie breathes out noisily and hugs her daughter._  
  
_“Labs, more than enough. For the first time I got into one while I was younger than you, when you came to our center.”_  
  
_“From now on, more details, be kind.” The girl slightly moves away, pulls the blanket to her chin. “Your stories always lull me the best.”_  
  
_Rogue laughs, the laughter is weak._  
  
_“I was six, my father kicked me out. You see, I could not bear that I was already a second child of his, though from another bit of skirt but all the same with a skin mutation. I went to my elder half-sister. She was amazing, kind...” D’Antanto started speaking slowly and quietly. Evidently, those memories gradually dislodged all the rest._  
  
_"Her name was Kayla Silverfox. She accepted me. She was a teacher in primary school. I loved her more, perhaps, than I loved my parents. Then I was stolen by the people of Colonel William Stryker — there was such a dickhead — they examined me, but at least they did not beat my poor kidneys off.” She coughed. “That was Zender's prerogative. Why are you biting nails, huh?”_  
  
_Laura instantly removed her fingers from her mouth and smiled guiltily._  
  
_“That's better. On what have I sto... Oh, yeah. Kayla was told that they would return me only if she did something. Then we hadn’t seen each other for five years, I lost hope of seeing her, I believed that she had betrayed, forgotten me...” Marie's voice trembles. “And then one dude appeared, he called himself Victor Creed. He said he would scrag my neck if I tried to escape, and led me outside. We came to the forest and stood by the road. My Kayla was passing down this road in the car. Creed told her it was time. If she didn’t agree, he would definitely send me to the better world, before either of us touched him._  
  
_"What was your sister’s gift?" Laura vainly tries not to fall asleep and surrenders, in the end, although she wonders what happened next there. Mom’s life history is a piece of shit._  
  
_“By touching a person, she could make him do... whatever, anything. Shortly, she and Creed faked her death for some reason. She was alive, but looked so...” The woman stopped. “I couldn’t stare at that.”_  
  
_Rogue wearily rubbed her temples._  
  
_“Then Victor hurried to return very quickly, almost forgot of me” Marie sprinkled. “I met my sis soon. Kayla came with your dad.”_  
  
_The woman feels a lump rising in her throat and shakes her head._  
  
_"Since then, he hasn’t got out of my life yet ... Sunshine, are you sleeping, or what?"_  
  
_Not wishing to wake up the daughter, who came from Osgood Hall with the only noble purpose — to have a good sleep, Marie carefully adjusted the pillows and teleported to the kitchen. The German guy was a nice fellow; she also owes him his life._  
  
Laughlin City is poorly lit at night, nevertheless, this fact doesn’t bother Laura. Leaving the car in the parking lot, she first walks fast, then runs. Paradoxically, the anxiety doesn’t increase. It means everything’s alright. X-23 got used to trust her instincts. Of course, she won’t yell at mom, In the end, we reap what we have sown.   
  
The warning bell was heard about a year and a half ago, when Laura came to her mother for the weekend. She found her in the living room, sitting in front of the bookshelf. Frayed and barefooted, Marie rocked from side to side and constantly muttered something. First, Laura did not recognize the dear voice — intonations were unfamiliar, and the things her mother said were sort of senseless. Marie looked like an actress, playing several roles at the same time. Emotions on Rogue’s face replaced each other with frightening speed, she periodically ached with pain. The girl did not manage to attract her mother’s attention. When Marie regained consciousness, she fell to her side and rapped out oaths. A bit later she explained to her daughter: "the locks" which had been put on copies of all those personalities absorbed — Professor provided her with them in her youth — were broken. Rogue heard everyone she had ever touched with the skin switched on. And the lousiest thing: she had the opportunity to kill the time, letting their feelings flow through her again. Feelings, thoughts and even pain. The real pain. This happened unconsciously.   
  
She could get overwhelmed with that bullshit in the street, in a store, during a conversation with neighbors, who, certainly, weren’t aware of anything. Laura sincerely hoped that pills would help. Marie obediently swallowed Elenium and antidepressants, while bursting from memories, as far as she found no courage to get rid of them. If she stared at her daughter for a long time, silently, in the end she invariably locked herself in the study and went into hysterics. Laura realized: her presence provoked that.   
  
After graduating from the university, the young woman harnessed her willpower and moved to the capital of the province of Yukon. They saw each other often, three or four times a week, they talked, chatted about all the nonsense. It did not work — Marie left home, as it turned out, in search of a long-worn out eatery. The bar, in which almost forty years ago she came across Wolverine.   
  
X-23 was ready to swear that mother was scoffing. The only question was, at whom more — at herself or at Laura.   
  
The owners of the townhouse, located that place, did not understand anything decidedly. They had built the house on an absolutely unoccupied and legally purchased land. Marie didn’t want to listen and repeated the phrase "There should be a bar", like a Buddhist repeats his mantra. Laura caught her grabbing Claudia Davis by the hands and demanding an explanation. It was difficult to persuade the old lady's husband not to call the ambulance. It's good that they have been honestly tolerating mother for two days on their lawn. Moreover, mom flatly refused to go back — it was necessary to lay her out for a relatively short time. Laura can’t say how it will happen this time.   
  
But here’s the house, this apple of discord. Laura spreads her shoulders and peers. There is no one in the courtyard, the light is seen in the window on the ground floor. X-23 approaches the door, but it is opened before she can ring a bell.   
  
"Miss Howlett, good evening!" Mrs. Davis is simply shines with happiness. “Come in, come in, we are waiting for you!”   
  
The girl nods. A suspiciously hospitable reception, especially taking into account how mother acted the last time. So great, if they didn’t shoot her with a tranquilizer.   
  
“Hello... and how do you... uh...” Gestures do nothing to help to express her thought.   
  
"Video surveillance, darling. How can we go without it in our troubled times?” The old lady throws her hands up.   
  
Mom’s here — it’s her smell. Taking off her winter boots, Laura just runs out of the hallway. The severity of the last two days disappears at one because of what she sees - Walter Davis and mother peacefully drink tea and eat some kind of pastries. This time he is rather supportive to her — earlier he threatened to shoot her. Laura exhales with relief.   
  
Mr. Davis turns around and notices Laura. Marie follows his example, chokes on the cake — Lord, she looks like a naughty preschooler. Who will believe this woman is sixty-two? Her gaze is clear, at least, she has come to her senses.   
  
They leave at once, although the Davis’ beg them to stay for the night. At night it is much easier to slip through the roadblocks. 

* * *

  
Marie looks out the window, and she thinks that her whole life is divided between such travels along the winter roads. The woman touches the glass with her bare fingers — it immediately becomes covered with hoarfrost.   
  
And anyhow, she's a thief. Someday all the abilities will vanish, and she has been ready for the finale of her play long ago. Eternal youth is the destiny of Laura. No, it's not a curse, it's a challenge for really strong people. The girl will deceive it, break through it with dignity. And Marie already feels the impending approach of the end. She only feels shame for the attacks. Everything mixes up, voices bother her to think, pictures from the past displace the reality. If Marie wasn’t so sentimental and weak-willed, she wouldn’t hesitate to cross out the past, renounce it for the sake of the present. But how to stop remembering, if, for example, when Kaila comes to her in a dream, then Ro, then Kitty, then someone else from the team? Hell, she looks at her daughter and sees Logan! Let it remain, as it is, only not to torment Laura anymore. In fact, Marie eats the pills, thought there is no effect at all.   
  
Rogue senses Laura's gaze, turns to face her and raises her brow enquiringly. Well, it’s catching…   
  
"Something important, sunshine?" She wants to laugh at herself.   
  
"Quite important" Laura says, squinting conspiratorially.   
  
D'Anсanto understands that daughter doesn’t take offense any longer.   
  
“Got news?”   
  
“Two pieces of news, actually. The first one is that you're a fucking masochist, mom. Stop it. The second one — you are moving to me, and we’re putting your hole for sale.”   
  
Marie isn’t even going to argue. She, in general, doesn’t care where to live. Maybe, at least… there will be work in the capital city.   
  
“As you wish, madam lawyer. Just… you know, you should better wear your seatbelt.”  

**Author's Note:**

> *Mother, are you sure?  
> **Tell me. 
> 
> My Spanish is elementary, my literary English is even worse.


End file.
